Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling LDF in Kerala on Sunday announced a series of campaigns including “mass protests” against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan accusing him of making a move to implement “Sangh Parivar agenda” in the state’s universities.
CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan and CPI’s Kanam Rajendran said a meeting of the LDF leaders held here decided to organise statewide protests against the Governor for “misusing” his power as chancellor of the universities.
On November 15, the protests will be organised in front of Raj Bhavan and in the district centres.
Senior LDF leaders will participate in the protest in front of Raj Bhavan, they told a press conference.
Accusing the Governor of “undermining” the work carried out by the government for the overall development of the universities, Govindan alleged that Khan withdrew the senate members of the Kerala University to replace them with RSS supporters.
“The Governor’s attempt is to control the higher education sector for Sangh Parivar,” he said.
Govindan alleged that the Governor was “destroying the autonomy of the universities”.
“The Vice Chancellors are constantly threatened by the Governor. He is trying to bring in RSS people in the senates. LDF will resist such moves to undermine the higher education sector,” he said.
He claimed that the government has brought revolutionary changes in the state’s universities by implementing various ambitious projects.
Certain forces are trying to make illegal moves through the chancellor to take control of the varsities, after realising that they cannot come to power through democratic means, Govindan alleged.
“The Governor proceeds by declaring that he is an RSS supporter,” he said and termed as “tyrannical” Khan’s decision to oust 15 members of Kerala University through a notification.
“Our aim is to build popular resistance against such an autocratic approach of the Governor,” he said.
The Left leaders said a public convention with the participation of like-minded people and academics will be organised on November 2.
District-level programmes will be held before November 10 and protests will be organised in colleges before November 12, he said.
The ruling Left decided to organise the massive campaign against the Governor days after he, as the Chancellor of universities in the state, notified the removal of 15 members of the Senate of Kerala University.
The notification was issued on Wednesday as his October 15 direction to the Vice Chancellor of Kerala University to immediately remove the Senate members had not been complied with.
